those most excellent Words of the Apostle to the Eph. 6.10 11 12. with which I shall conclude Finally Brethren be strong in the Lord and in the Power of his might Put on the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the Wiles of the Devil For we wrestle not against Flesh and Blood but against Principalities against Powers against the Rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high Places Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to stand in the Evil Day and having done all to stand And so goes on in several Verses shewing with what Armour you must prepare your selves wherewith to defend your Innocency against the Assaults of Satan viz. with Truth or the Knowledge of the Gospel with Righteousness Charity Faith the Hope of Salvation and the word of God And then adds as I before directed you That you must Pray always with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all Perseverance THE Fourteenth Lecture First That I should Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh HAVING already in order to the Explication of these Words shew'd you Who the Devil is what are his Works what is meant by Renouncing the Devil and all his Works and how necessary it is we should absolutely do so I come now Secondly In like manner to Explain unto you What is meant by the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and to shew you in what Sence and how far you must Renounce the wicked World with its Pomps and Vanity What 's meant by the Pomps and Vanity of the wicked World and in what sence and how far we must Renounce the wicked world w th its Pomps and Vanity Three things here to be explain'd and accordingly Renounced 1. The World 2. The wicked World and 3. The Pomps and Vanity of this wicked world To Renounce the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World There is not a word here but will require some Explication As to the word Renounce indeed it may suffice what I before told you that it is of various Significations according to the Nature of the Thing to be Renounc'd by us And there being Three Things in these Words necessary to be Explain'd First The World Secondly The wicked World and Thirdly The Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World I will Expound to you the Meaning of each and will withal shew you in what sence and how far you are to Renounce every One of them And First I am to shew you what is meant by the World and in what Sence and how far you are to Renounce the World The World in Scripture does generally pass under a very bad Character and for the most part is mention'd as what does directly oppose God's Glory and our own Happiness The World a great Enemy to God's Glory and our own Happiness Thus Jam. 4.4 Know ye not that the Friendship of the World is Enmity with God and whosoever therefore will be a Friend of the World is an Enemy of God And on the contrary Gal. 6.16 St. Paul gives this Character of himself That through the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ the World is Crucified unto him and he unto the World And 1 Joh. 5.4 it is universally declar'd that Whosoever is born of God overcometh the World And therefore in the Second Chapter of the same Epist 15 16. we are commanded Not to love the World neither the Things that are in the World being assur'd that If any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him And indeed if we shall search throughout the whole Book of God we shall find such frequent and earnest Commands to Renounce this World and to beware of its Temptations that nothing except Satan the Ring-leader of all our Adversaries seems to be a more Mortal Enemy to the Happiness and Salvation of Mankind than this World And all this consider'd as also that it is made so material a Part of our Baptismal Covenant to Renounce as the Devil so the World I think it concerns you to be well informed what is meant both in Scripture and your Catechism by that World which you are so oblig'd to Renounce and in what sence and how far you are to Renounce it And a more nice and critical Enquiry and State of this Matter is the rather necessary because the World as hardly as it is spoke of is not absolutely and in its own Nature Evil as the Devil is for consider'd in it self it is the Creature of God and consequently very Good according to that Divine Testimony given thereunto Gen. 1.31 God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very Good And it is only Evil accidentally by our Abuse of it That therefore you may Err on neither side neither despise the Workmanship of God's Hands to the Disparagement of God's Goodness in giving us of his Creatures for our Use and Convenience nor too much Dote upon the Creature to the Neglect of the Creator which is a Degree of Idolatry I will with what Skill God shall enable me state this whole matter to you and shew you What is meant by the World and in what Sence and how far you are to Renounce it And for the more full and compleat Explication of this Point I will do it both Generally and Particularly It is to be consider'd both generally and particularly And First as to the World in General it is visible what is meant by it viz. The whole Frame of Nature which we behold with whatever is contain'd therein True it is the World is put many times in Scripture as Joh. 7.7 and often elsewhere to signify Evil Men because that the Wicked make up the greatest Part of Men in this world But this is an improper and figurative meaning of the World Evil Men being but a part of the World and in this Sence will better be consider'd by us under the next general Point to be spoken to viz. The wicked World But Matth. 4.8 and in innumerable other Places of the Scriptures by the World is meant that whole Frame of Nature which we behold and all that Variety of Creatures which it contains and is given us by the Bounty and Goodness of God for our Use and Benefit I. By the world in general is meant that whole Frame of Nature which we behold and all that variety of Creatures which it contains and is given us by the Bounty and Goodness of God for our Vse and Benefit And now the great Question will be In what Sence and how far we must Renounce the World in this Sence of the Word And there are not ordinary Mistakes about it For some shall Cry out most grievously against this World as the Author of all their Sin and Misery and therefore many have endeavour'd
we our selves are duly qualified with Tempers and Dispositions to approach unto the Throne of Grace and provided also that the Matter of our Prayer be acceptable to God But as to his Grace and Assistance to enable us to serve and obey him we may be sure of never failing in such our Petitions And therefore you may be particularly assur'd that the Prayers of the Fathers of the Church accompany'd with laying on of Hands to which there is a particular Promise of a gracious Answer will not return empty when in their Confirmation of those amongst you who come with sincere Intentions to perform their Covenant they shall pray unto God to increase in you the manifold Gifts of Grace the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding the Spirit of Wisdom and Ghostly Strength the Spirit of Knowledge and True Godliness and to fill you with the Spirit of Holy Fear now and for ever Which and all your Prayers that they may be successful may God Almighty grant of his Infinite Goodness through Jesus Christ our Lord. FINIS THE XXVIII Lecture And by God's Help so I will And I pray unto God to give me his Grace that I may continue in the same unto my Live's End IN the discoursing of those Means whereby we shall perform the Covenant we have enter'd into with God having First shew'd you that to put on a firm and fix'd Resolution faithfully to discharge the same will be a great means towards the performance of it Secondly I am now to shew you that it must be a Resolution took up not in Confidence of our own Strength but of God's Grace and Assistance And by God's Help so I will In order to make which appear 1. I will briefly represent how great our own natural Weakness is And in what necessity we do therefore stand of God's Grace and Assistance to enable us to overcome the Temptations of the World the Flesh and the Devil and to perform our Covenant with God 2. I will then shew you what Measures of Divine Assistance proportionably to such our Necessity God will bestow upon us The whole Nature of Man deprav'd And First Let us take a View of our own Natural Weakness so as to see in what necessity we do stand of God's Grace and Assistance to enable us to overcome the Temptations of the World the Flesh and the Devil and to perform our Covenant with God And here we are to reflect that ever since the Fall of our first Parents when they did break their Covenant with God and lost their Innocence by eating of the Forbidden Fruit and did thereby forfeit the perfect Light and Strength wherewith God had endow'd 'em at the Creation and had deposited with 'em as a sacred Treasury for them and their Posterity Ever since that fatal Forfeiture then made it must be confess'd that our whole Nature is corrupted and all the Powers and Faculties of our Souls and Bodies are so depraved that every thing within us inclines us to yield to Temptations and to sin against and to disobey our God The Ligâ—t of our Vnderstanding Vnderstandingâ— is ever since become very dim to discern the Beauty of Holiness of Religion and of Spiritual Things The Natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are Foolishness to him neither can be know them because they are spiritually discern'd 1 Cor. 2.14 Our Wills Wills they also are naturally crooked and perverse and altogether for chusing what pleases our Appetites and our Senses and are very backward to Religion and Goodness Our Affections Affections run with so strong a Biass towards Worldly Things that we cannot easily set our Affections on Things above as the Apostle commands us but on Things on Earth And lastly our Lusts and Appetites Lusts and Appetites are naturally very evil and carry us out to please our Senses in direct opposition to the Laws of God and the Dictates of right Reason Thus is our whole Nature corrupt and every Power and Faculty thereof does incline us to yield to the Temptations of the World the Flesh and Devil and so to sin against our God and to break our Covenant with him In a word the Temptations of all sorts which we do often meet with to draw us into Sin are mighty and the Duties we are to perform in opposition to 'em all are many and sometimes very difficult and our own natural Strength whereby we should do all this is very weak We see as the Apostle words it Rom. 7.23 A Law in our Members warring against the Law of our Minds and bringing us into Captivity to the Law of Sin which is in our Members So that if we consider our selves as we are in our natural State we have reason to bewail our Condition in the following Words of the Apostle O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from this Body of Sin Verse 24. But however Christ haâ— purchac'd sufficient Grace to renew 〈◊〉 throughout notwithstanding this our Natural Corruption and Weakness we have reason to take Courage and with the same Apostle V. 25. to thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. For our Blessed Saviour with the Price of his most Precious Blood amongst other high Benefits has purchac'd that excellent Gift of sufficient Grace and Assistance for all that enter into the Covenant with him to enable them to perform the Conditions of it And as he has purchac'd it so he does convey it to the Hearts of all such to enable them to renounce and overcome the World the Flesh and the Devil to believe in God and to obey him So that though we are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves yet we have Sufficiency of God to enable us both to think and to do what is good 2 Cor. 3.5 And indeed we can do all things required of us through Christ that strengthens us Phil. 4.13 And this brings me to my Second Proposal Which was to shew you what the Divine Assistance is What the Divine Assistance is and what Measures of it Proportionably to such our Necessity God will bestow upon us to enable us to perform our Covenant with him And as to the Grace and Assistance of God by it I do mean something over and above that Reason and Perswasiveness there is in the Gospel it self to work a Change in us whereby on the one hand by the proposal of infinite Rewards to Well-doing on the other hand by the threatning of fearful Punishments to wicked Living the Gospel is apt of it self to prevail upon us and to change our Natures But by the Grace and Assistance of God I do mean I say something over and above this viz. A secret Power and Efficacy of the Divine Spirit accompanying the Word into the Mind and Will by means whereof the Gospel does the more readily and effectually work upon both to the Renewing of 'em and to the restoring of the
between Good and Evil. 101 The Mind of Man naturally desirous of encreasing Knowledge Experimental Knowledge of Sin clouds the Reason and stupifies the Sence of Spiritual things And even meer Curiosity after less Profitable things takes off from the Knowledge of God and our Selves and the Means of Happiness 102 By these Means he brings that Ignorance in Divine Matters which reigns in most Men's Minds And being spiritually Ignorant Men are easily led into whatever Sin and Misery This therefore another Wile of Satan's which must be carefully avoided 103 Thirdly By Bribing the Affections with something nearest our Hearts and rather than disoblige and lose which we will commit any thing that is Evil. And by whatever we most place our Affections upon does he still Inveigle us to do what is Forbidden And therefore our Saviour would have us bear that Indifferency of Affection towards our nearest Relations as to be able to Forsake them and their Interests rather than God Lastly By exciting their Lusts and Appetites after the forbidden Fruit by proposing the fairest Objects and most delicious Dainties to their Senses 104 And by the same Methods does he prevail to this day upon the far greatest part of Mankind to Rebel against God For Man being made up very much of Sense so that nothing enters into the Soul but through the Doors of our Senses we are easily prevail'd upon by what gratifies our Senses Especially the Senses of Seeing and Tasting 105 But our being taken only with Outward things is such an high Ingratitude to God who hath provided so much better for us and such an Abuse to our Souls which are capable of relishing higher Enjoyments as is not to be Endur'd 106 LECT XI What Temptations Satan levels against the Church of Christ God recovers out of the fallen Race of Mankind a Body of Men the Church to his Service Listed 'em under Jesus Christ to Fight against Satan The Devil enrag'd to have his Prey snatcht out of his Teeth continually Attacks it His first and chief Endeavours are utterly to destroy it from off the Face of the Earth 107 This he Endeavour'd to do in the Person of Abel And when afterwards Recruited in the Family of Seth yet he Reduc'd it again by the Bloody Posterity of Cain to Eight Persons in the Days of Noah When after the Flood God chose Abraham and his Posterity to be a special People unto himself Satan endeavour'd utterly to have Extinguisht that People by his Servant Pharaoh And in all Periods till our Saviour's coming he stir'd up the Idolatrous Nations their Neighbours especially the Four Monarchies to Harrass them But soon after that Christ appeared in the World did he most vigorously Exert his Malice against it 108 So that for the first 300 Years we hear of nothing but of bloody Persecutions The Emperors of Rome the Instruments but Satan the Instigator And wheresoever any Attempt is made to Convert a Country from Paganism he does instigate the Princes and People thereof to Persecute and Destroy the Preachers of the Gospel And he is no less Industrious to drive Christianity out of those Countries whereof it had once Possession And he has an Anti-Christian Party within the Bowels of Christendom most sadly weakning Christ's and most effectually promoting the Interest of his own Kingdom 109 And now all Christians are so far to Renounce Satan with respect to those his persecuting Temptations as to submit to the sorest Sufferings which Satan and his wicked Instruments can inflict rather than deny Christ or his Truths Secondly When those bloody Methods fail Satan then does endeavour so to corrupt Mens Notions of God and Religion that by their very Christianity they may dishonour him 110 This Politick Method of his discover'd to us under the Parable of a malicious Enemy coming privately in the Night and sowing Tares where the Husbandman had before sowed good Seed Like a skilful Husbandman he is choice about the Nature of the Seed the Temper and Preparedness of the Soil the Fitness of the Season and the Skilfulness of the Seeds-man First As to the Nature of the Seed he takes care his Heretical Opinions and Practices should bear some Resemblance of Divine Truth in order to conceal their Discovery Thus especially he Gilds his Errors where the Light of the Gospel does most clearly shine as here First When under the plausible Appearance of Advancing God's Honour in some of his Attributes he renders him odious and dispis'd in Others 111 Secondly When under the Colour of Advancing Gospel-Truths he propagates Heresies which do undermine Religion and the Necessity of a Holy Life Thirdly when he teaches to prefer some eminent Christian Duty or some part of a Duty or one Way of performing a Duty to the Disparagement of another As to prefer Prayer to the neglect of Preaching or Sermons to the contempt of Prayers As also Praying in Spirit to the regard of Bodily Worship And Extemporary Prayer to the utter Contempt of Forms of Prayer 112 By this latter Means Satan has utterly Defeated those excellent Helps we have in our Church and brought in a great Neglect of Publick Family and Private Devotion 113 Secondly As to the Temper and Preparation of the Soil in Churches where the Scriptures are Lockt up and Ignorance prevails he imposes the grossest Heresies as Articles of Faith Especially he introduces Idolatry and Superstition whereby he is most immediately and directly serv'd Thirdly As to the fitness of the Season he is dexterous in accommodating his Counsels his Actions and his manner of Acting to such Seasons as are most proper to his Purpose of seducing Men. 114 Hence in dark and ignorant Ages nothing so common as the Apparitions of Saints as was pretended to introduce the Belief of Purgatory Image-Worship and the like Superstitions And in Learn'd and Philosophical Ages he is as shy in appearing lest he should destroy the prevailing Sadducism Fourthly As to the skilfulness of the Seeds-man Satan is wonderfully Cunning in making choice of fit and proper Instruments and in furnishing those with the proper Arts of Deceiving and with suitable Qualities whom he employs to sow the Seed of corrupt Doctrine in the Souls of Men. 115 Such as place all Religion in Morality shall be adorn'd with Humanity Such as turn it all into Mystery shall be gifted with Canting 116 And yet sometimes the Crooked Serpent by Men seeming Godly will propagate Principles extreamly Immoral The most difficult Part of a Christian's Warfare is to preserve One-self untainted with Heretical Pravity colour'd over with the Varnish of Gospel-Truth But yet by trying it by proper Rules it may be done viz. First By its tendency to an Ill Life Secondly By its taking off from our Dependance upon the Mediation of Christ for the acceptance of a good One. 117 LECT XII Thirdly Satan's great Industry is to gain over to his Party or to Tempt to some scandalous Enormity such Persons as are more than ordinarily Eminent
neither do they Profess Belief in nor Pray to the One True God Father Son and Holy Ghost and they are utter Strangers to our Holy Mysteries And hence it comes to pass that those miserable People continue still in Blindness Ignorance and Barbarity remain perfect Slaves to Satan and their own Brutish Lusts and for the most part of 'em are degenerated into such Inhumanity Cruelty and Brutality that Tygers Wolves and Vipers the most Devouring and Venemous Creatures in the World are not so mischievous to Mankind as that Part thereof who either know not or contemn God's Holy Ordinances are one to another So true it is what Solomon has observ'd Prov. 29.18 that Where there is no Vision or no Word and Ordinances of Divine Revelation the People perish Which brings me Lastly II. They are excellent Advantages considered in themselves To consider What excellent Priviledges they are in themselves And thas they are upon Two Accounts First As being most admirable Advantages towards the Observation of God's most Holy Laws Secondly As being exceedingly comfortable to those who Enjoy ' em I. As conducing much towards our Edification And First Divine Ordinances are most Excellent Priviledges as being most admirable Advantages towards the Observation of God's most Holy Laws and in order to a Holy and Good Life For why In these Holy Ordinances we have all the Means both Outward and Inward afforded for our Conversion As to the Outward you have the very Scriptures themselves the Body of those Holy Laws publickly Proclaim'd and Read out to you the Scripture it self I say Which was given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3.16 17. In these Holy Ordinances again you are not left to the Deceits and Whispers of a private Spirit but you have the Doctrine of the Church collected into a Form of sound words and containing all that is necessary whether as to Faith or that Love which is in Christ Jesus or which is required in the Christian Religion 2 Tim. 1.13 You have this Collected I say partly by the Apostles themselves and partly by others the wisest and best Divines out of the Holy Scriptures and propos'd to you as a Rule to walk by And moreover you have the Ministers of Christ constantly applying both to your direction The Ministers of Christ I say who as his Ambassadors do Pray you in Christ's stead to be Reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5.20 Again In these Holy Ordinances you do not wrestle with God for his Mercies in the strength only of your own private Prayers but you have your Devotions mingled with the concurrent Prayers of all God's People and so by your joint Forces after an humble but powerful manner do Besiege Heaven for the joint and united Prayers of Christians have above all others the Promise of a Gracious Answer Matth. 18.20 Our Saviour assuring us there that Where Two or Three are gathered together in his Name there he will be in the midst of them And lastly You receive herein from the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ that Food which is necessary to the Nourishment of the Soul as Meat is to the Strength of the Body the same Blessed Saviour of the World assuring us as you will see Joh. 6.55 and the 63. compar'd together that His Flesh is Meat indeed and that his Blood is Drink indeed And then as to the Inward Means of performing God's Laws viz. The Grace and Assistance of his Holy Spirit this as it is absolutely necessary to enable our Weakness in this our fall'n State so it it is no otherwise to be expected than in the Use and Ministry of Divine Ordinances as shall be presently seen In a word The outward Ordinances and Institutions of the Gospel together with the Holy Spirit accompanying them are the only ordinary Means of Conversion Some may pretend to be above Ordinances but Experience tells us that accordingly as Men do slight and neglect 'em accordingly do they decay in Grace and Vertue and when once they begin wholly to lay them aside they become perfectly Graceless and are given up to a Reprobate Mind as is daily seen in such as make nothing of Profaning the Lord's Day and totally laying aside Prayers and Sacraments As most comfortable to the Souls of those who enjoy them Secondly And they are not more Profitable and Edifying than they are Comfortable to the Spirits of all Pious Souls who enjoy ' em Holy David was a most eminent Instance of this My Soul thirsteth for God for the Living God when shall I come and appear before God Psal 42.2 See what earnest Longings he had for the publick Service And I was glad when they said unto me Let us go to the house of the Lord Psal 122.1 And Psal 65.4 he expresses his sence of this Matter thus Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy Courts he shall be satisfied in the goodness of thy House even of thy holy Temple Alas They are seldom sufficiently valued till most wanted the inestimable Priviledges and Advantages of Divine Ordinances as the Benefit of the Heat and Light and all other common Mercies are never sufficiently valued till most wanted In the abundance of 'em we slight 'em but when depriv'd of 'em we see we cannot live the Spiritual Life without ' em This is most significantly exprest Amos 8.11 12. Behold the days come saith the Lord God that I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from Sea to Sea and from the North even to the East they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it You see here that the Famine of Bread is nothing in comparison with the Famine of the Word and Ordinances I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst of water but of hearing the words of the Lord which is a much sorer Famine for it is a Famine which will starve the Soul And when they are deprived of the Word and Ordinances then shall they wander from Sea to Sea and from the North even to the East they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it And accordingly we may always observe this difference in Men's Esteem of those excellent Advantages In the outward Peace and Prosperity of the Church when the Church Doors are always open and Prayers and Sacraments constantly Administred then how many that live near the House of God shall seldom come at it and how will others Profanely pass by it even in time of Divine Service And how do People when it is Plentiful loath this Heavenly
and Injury to the Souls of Men as namely when those who are Masters do so far exceed in their Commands as to give no leisure to their Servants to provide for the Good of their own Souls But such a Dominion as this must be utterly Renounced But all that Dominion is to be utterly renounced amongst Christians which treats Servants no better than Slaves and Brutes and it should be a Thing never heard of amongst Christians that a Servant should be such a Slave as to be treated no better than a Brute And as Pasture is the only thing provided for the latter so bodily Necessaries should be the only thing took care of for the former No every one that will expect Abraham's Blessing and Favour with God must have Abraham's pious Care of the religious Education and Government both of his Children and Servants concerning whom it is Recorded that God did impart unto him a very great Secret under the Notion of a singular Favour upon this very Account That He knew he would command his Children and his Houshold after him that they should keep the way of the Lord to do Justice and Judgment Gen. 18.19 So that when any of you shall grow up or arrive to that Condition to be the Heads of a Family this must be also your Care and you must utterly Renounce the Treating your Servants at that Distance as if they were not Fellow-servants with you to the same God Secondly The next Condition The State of Servants not in it self unhappy or State of Life in this World to be consider'd of is that of Servants Now a Servant amongst Christians if he be not Barbarously and Un-christianly us'd is not the most unhappy State Tho' he has not his Master's Liberty yet if he has less of his Licentiousness he is the happier Man But yet if it falls out so that the Master and Family he happens into be Disorderly Debauched and Wicked he is in a State of mighty Temptation and in great danger of being Corrupted And therefore First It concerns every Person who is to live by a Service I. It concerns every Person who is to live by a Service to avoid such where there is neither the means of Religion nor restraints upon Sin to Renounce and Refuse those if extream Necessity and want of better do not compel him to accept of such where a great deal of Wickedness is practiced without Controul and little of the Fear of God is to be seen amongst Masters or Servants We do daily pray to God Not to lead us into Temptation and those who are sincere in their Prayers will not voluntarily throw themselves into such a dangerous place of Temptation as is a wicked Family where not only the ordinary Means of Grace the reading of the Word of God and daily Prayers are wanting but the Examples of both Head and Members to influence to an imitation in Lewdness Drunkenness Injustice Cursing Swearing and all Impiety and where Profaneness does so far prevail as to instigate 'em to break their Jests upon Religion and Vertue Alas it is a very difficult thing for Youth to be throughly season'd with Principles of Vertue even by all the Instruction and Care of Ministers Parents and Masters How then must it be next to a Miracle if they fly not out into all manner of Licentiousness when the Corruption within is heighten'd with the Examples and Encouragements of all about 'em and those too Persons upon whose Favour they depend II. In the most Irreligious Families a Servant shall happen into he must put on a stedfast resolution to preserve his Innocence Secondly But since Idleness and want of Employment does expose a Person to Temptation even more than such Services and if Necessity shall force you into those where little of spiritual Improvement but all manner of Temptations to Sin is to be expected why then with Joseph in the House of Potiphar Gen. 39.8 you must put on the most stedfast Resolutions to preserve your Innocence and must make a Covenant with your Eyes Ears and all your Senses that they do not Offend And when Divine Providence has dispos'd you there Divine Grace will not be wanting to your own honest Endeavours to preserve you from Evil. III. The State of Celibacy advantagious to Devotion in times Distress Thirdly The next State and that wherein the greatest part of Mankind in this World are found is the State of Celibacy or the single Life and St. Paul speaking to those which are Unmarried tells 'em It is good for them if they abide so 1 Cor. 7.8 and that upon Two Accounts First at all Times because of the greater Freedom and Vacancy for Meditation and Divine Employments therein He that is Vnmarried careth for the things of the Lord how he may please the Lord Secondly and more especially in Times of Persecution or the Approach of Sufferings coming upon the Church of God and because of the present or impendent Distress ver 26. But yet this State is the most subject to unchast Desires and lewd Practices if not powerfully restrain'd by rooted Principles of Vertue And therefore This must be renounced when Persons cannot Contain Even the State of Celibacy it self must be Renounc'd and Forsaken by those who cannot contain according to the Advice of the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.9 They who cannot contain let them Marry for it is better to Marry than to Burn For alas when Persons Morals are once Corrupted in this Kind it is very rare that either Man or Woman returns to that just Abomination and Abhorrence which all Christians ought to have of the very Thoughts and Expressions of Uncleanness according to that of St. Paul But Fornication and all Vncleanness let it not be once named amongst you as becometh Saints neither Filthiness nor foolish Talking nor Jestings which are not convenient Eph. 5.3 4. Lastly the married state has its advantages The last State of Persons I shall here mention is that of the Married a State Ordain'd by God Matth. 19.4 and the more to be lik'd that besides the mutual Supports and Comforts afforded to each other therein many both Husbands and Wives do owe their Conversion to Christianity and from a wicked to a good Life to the prudent and discreet Instruction of one or other of the married Couple 1 Cor. 7.16 Nevertheless there is Danger in this as well as in other States In Times of Distress they are apt to be Tempters to one another to sinful Compliances and at all times are plung'd into worldly Cares and He that is Married careth for the things that are of the World 1 Cor. 7.33 and that too often to the great hindrance of Religion And therefore I. All Solicitations from either of the married Couple must be Renounced which woulâ— Perswade 〈◊〉 sinful Comâ—â—â—ances in â—â—â—es of Distress First All Solicitations from either Husband or Wife must be utterly Renounc'd when out of worldly
and oblige our selves thereby to do He is appeal'd to as a Judge of our Performance whether we are faithful or not And as he is a God that will not be mocked he will certainly be a Revenger and a severe one too if we shall falsly and perfidiously break our Vows of Renouncing the World the Flesh and the Devil of Believing in God and Obeying him and shall on the contrary give our selves up to the service of Sin and Satan live like those that Believe not God nor the Christian Religion and in perfect contradiction to the Apostle's Rule deny not all Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts as we are commanded and have promised but deny to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World In such a case I say he will be a severe Revenger of our Perjury and of our Apostacy I say of our Apostacy for he will then consider us not as ordinary Sinners but as those who have in effect renounced our Religion and will allot to us therefore not the ordinary measures of Punishments due to unbelieving Jews Turks and Infidels but extraordinary ones such as are due to faithless and perfidious Renegado's Oh it had been happy for us if we had never been Baptized if after those Vows we have therein made to do all we can to destroy Satan's Kingdom and the Power of Sin in the World we shall fight against God by our impious and wicked Deeds Better it is that thou shouldst not Vow than that thou shouldst Vow and not pay Eccl. 5.5 It is a less fault not to Vow at all than having Vowed not to perform the one being but a Neglect the other an Affront nay a Contempt of his Majesty who will not suffer a scorn to be put upon himself What shall I say why take therefore the Advice of the Wise Man v. 4. When thou vowest a Vow unto God deferr not to pay it for he hath no pleasure in Fools pay that which thou hast Vowed And say resolutely with Holy David Psal 119.106 I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous Judgments I have solemnly resolved and bound my self by the most sacred Ties which I will never break but do now confirm that I will carefully perform my part of the Covenant which I find to be most just and good The End of the First Volume THE XXVII Lecture And by God's Help so I will And I pray unto God to give me his Grace that I may continue in the same unto my Live's End IN those several Expositions I have made upon the Words of your Catechism I have now fully declar'd unto you first the general Nature Terms and Conditions of the Covenant of Grace secondly the Sacrament whereby you solemnly enter'd into it And last Day have represented to you those vast Obligations lying upon you faithfully and conscientiously to discharge the same And I know nothing so fit next to be spoke of as the Means whereby we shall be enabl'd to perform this our Covenant and what they are these Words I have now read do declare unto you And by God's c. In which you are given to to understand I. That in order to perform the Covenant with God you must put on a fix'd and firm Resolution faithfully to discharge the same II. But a Resolution it must be took up not in Confidence of our own Strength but of God's Grace and Assistance III. And accompany'd therefore with most earnest Prayers to God not to let us to our selves but to be always present with us So I will These Words import the firm Resolution By God's Help so I will These shew it must be a Resolution made not in Confidence of our own Strength And I pray unto God to give me his Grace that I may continue in the same unto my Live's End These express how necessary Prayer will be to obtain that Assistance which alone can fortifie our Resolutions I shall inlarge here only on the former namely First That to put on a fix'd and firm Resolution faithfully to discharge your Covenant with God will be a great Means towards your Performance of it In order to make which appear 1. I will briefly reflect upon the Nature of your Baptismal Covenant 2. I will shew you what kind of Resolution you ought to put on to perform the same And 3. I will then manifest to you how much such a Holy Resolution will conduce to your Performance of it And First let us briefly reflect upon the Nature of our Baptismal Covenant And the Summ of what has been said upon the Doctrine of your Baptismal Covenant is briefly this namely that in your Baptism you were Incorporated into that Holy Society of Men which is call'd the Church of Christ and were made your selves Members of it You were Adopted to be his Children and such as he would have a peculiar Care of and would indulge with singular Favours And as the Perfection of all you had then an Inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven insur'd to you so as to have a legal Right conferr'd upon you to all those unspeakable Joys contain'd in that State All these peculiar Favours you had then conferr'd upon you on God's part on these Terms and Conditions to be made good on yours namely That you would first utterly Renounce those great Enemies of God the Devil the World and the Flesh The Devil because he had Rebell'd against his Creator for which he was Banish'd Heaven and has been ever since endeavouring to withdraw Mankind to partake and side with him in the same wicked Revolt But you have Covenanted with God that you will utterly abhor so base a thing as to side with so cursed a Spirit either by your own Sins or by tempting of others to sin And that you will be always upon your Guard against all his cursed Wiles whereby he would withdraw you into so foul an Apostacy from God As to the World because the greatest Part of Mankind have been prevail'd upon by this wicked Spirit to desert their Creator you have Covenanted to Renounce their Ways so as not to be tempted by their Examples their Company their Persuasions their Threats or their Promises to desert also the great Captain of your Salvation Jesus Christ And as to the Material World that neither the Riches the Honours nor the Pleasures of it should allure you nor the evil and vexatious things of it should fright you into Sin And lastly as to these Enemies of God and us you did solemnly engage your selves to exercise a continual Warfare against the Corrupt Lusts of your sinful Nature which are ever and anon Rebelling against the Dictates of your own Reason and of the Holy Spirit of God Thus in your Baptism you did Covenant to Renounce the Devil the World and the Flesh And you did on the contrary then engage as you have seen that you would give a hearty and ready Assent to all those Divine Truths reveal'd to you in
the Overthrow of the greatest Heroes in Christianity that there is no Devise nor Diligence will be wanting on his part to foil you you especially who are devoted to God so that you must take unto you the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the Evil-Day and having done all to stand stand therefore having your Loins Girt says the Apostle Eph. 6.13.14 which words and manner of Expression speak the utmost Resolution to be necessary And that will do for when he sees that you stand so much upon your Guard that he can have no hopes of prevailing to avoid the shame of a foul Defeat he will at last leave you to the Conduct of God's Holy Spirit and of his Holy Angels and will no longer molest nor trouble you And the same Resolution is also most exceedingly necessary to subdue the Lusts of the Flesh These are a headstrong and boisterous Enemy and must be as resolutely dealt withal which our Saviour does more than Intimate when he tells us we must Cut off these Right-Arms and Pluck out these Right Eyes of ours Matth. 5.29 30. meaning our most darling and beloved Lusts and to Cut off and Pluck out is quick work And indeed the only danger from our Lusts is when we begin to parly with them and hold Arguments against 'em for in the mean time they insensibly steal into our Hearts and get Strength within us but a Resolute Resistance not so much as letting 'em enter into our Thoughts utterly defeats ' em And Lastly The World especially the wicked Men of the World can by no means be so successfully defeated in all their Attempts to draw you to Sin as by your putting on serious Resolutions against all sinful Ways and Courses Till then they will never leave you but will be continually plying you with Insinuations Flatteries Perswasions and Arguments to accompany them in their Riots but when it once comes to that that you can say with the Resolved Psalmist Ps 119.115 Away from me all ye that work wickedness I will keep the Commandments of my God they will no longer trouble you they will perceive you have an Aversion and Hatred to their Ways and that will natuâ—ally separate between you and remove them at a distance from you But 2. Our Holy Resolutions are then likeliest to be firm and will consequently prove a happy Instrument and means of your continuing faithful in your Covenant with God when they are Ratifi'd and Confirm'd by some outward and express Solemnity as at Confirmation or at a Sacrament For to the Inward Resolves of the Mind there will be then added the outward and express Obligation of an Oath which the Consciences of all Mankind not totally deprav'd by Sin are infinitely afraid of violating And to this purpose it is observable that even God himself Willing to shew unto the Heirs of Promise the Immutability of his Council confirm'd it by an Oath that by two Immutable things in which it was impossible for God to Lye we might have strong Consolation who have fled for Refuge to lay hold on the Hope set before us Hebrews 6.17 18. The two immutable things here meant were the Promise and the Oath of God And the bare Promise of him sure who could not lye might be sufficient to give us Assurance But even God himself for our greater Certainty and Consolation confirm'd what he promis'd by Oath which shews the Additional Obligation which any thing that carries in it the Nature of an Oath has upon Mens Consciences And therefore it will follow that your fortifying your Resolutions at a Confirmation wherein you solemnly ratifie and renew your Vows to God in the Presence of his Church who are Witnesses to the Contract that will be produc'd in Judgment against you should you happen to violate the same It will therefore follow I say that nothing can be so likely to render your Holy Resolutions stedfast and lasting as when they are so solemnly made By thus solemnly confirming your Resolutions you will give a very great Force not only to the Dictates of your own Consciences but to the Admonitions also of your Pastor or any other kind Friend who watches over you for Good and who then can with Moses Deut. 26.17 18. adjure you to be true to your Covenant with God in these emphatical and weighty Expressions Thou hast vouched the Lord this day to be thy God and to walk in his ways and to keep his Statutes and to hearken to his Voice And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar People as he hath promised thee and that thou should'st keep all his Commandments And thus I have fully shew'd you both the Nature of Holy and Christian Resolution and also how much it will conduce to the performance of your Covenant with God if you can once bring your selves to Resolve well and especially to seal these Resolutions in a publick and solemn Ordinance I shall but briefly here speak to the two following Particulars viz. God's Assistance and Prayer as means also of enabling you to discharge the same These are indeed together with Holy Resolution contain'd in these Words And by God's help so I will And I pray unto God to give me his Grace that I may continue in the same unto my Lives end But there will be another more proper Occasion to give a full State and Account of those two great Points and therefore I shall here insist upon them no farther than is necessary to our present purpose of shewing farther the Nature of Christian Resolution and how it must be qualify'd To proceed then II. Our Resolution to be faithful in our Covenant with God must be made not in Confidence of our own Strength but of God's Grace and Assistance Alas of our selves we are extremely weak all the Powers and Faculties of our Nature being miserably corrupted and depraved by Sin and enfeebled to all that is good Of our selves we are not able so much as to think any thing that is good but however we have Sufficiency of God And the Trust we have in God is through Christ 2 Cor. 3.4 5. for he has purchac'd sufficient Grace and Assistance for us to help us through all the Difficulties in our Christian Warfare so that tho' we cannot promise nor vow that we will renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil believe in God and obey him in Confidence of our own Strength yet in full Assurance of the Help of God we may firmly resolve with a So I will For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Phil. 4.13 But then III. It is Prayer that must obtain that Help and Assistance you must pray unto God to give you his Grace that you may continue in the same unto your Lives end Prayer is indeed a most Sovereign Means of obtaining Supply to all our wants and they never return unanswer'd in such a manner as shall be best for us provided
full Extent thereof This will be more properly done in another Place when we come in the latter part of the Catechism to explain the Lord's Prayer For as our most Excellent Catechism does observe this most useful Method in your Instruction to teach you first in general the Terms and Conditions of your Covenant and all things relating to it and then to descend to a more particular Consideration of the same Points So we cannot do better than to follow the same Method in the Explication of these Points All that I shall therefore do at present shall be I. To shew you what is meant by praying unto God II. To lay before you how effectual a Means of performing your Covenant praying unto God will be not only as it will morally dispose nay naturally enforce and lay a necessity upon you to be faithful therein but as it will certainly procure you the Divine Assistance And First The full Meaning of Prayer I am to shew you in a few Words what is meant by praying unto God And by Prayer I do not here mean in the strictest sence of the Words our Petitions only to Almighty God wherein we do implore his Goodness to bestow upon us through Christ what he knows to be best both for our Bodies and Souls This indeed is the most proper and immediate sence of the Words and the sence that is most directly here intended But however in the largest sence of the Word I do also mean by Praying all that Application we make to the Divine Majesty when either by confessing our Sins unto him we own our selves to deserve his utmost Wrath and the severest Punishments or by petitioning of him we entreat his Forgiveness of the same and that he will strengthen us with his Grace to do better for the future or when by interceding for others we intreat the like Favour of God for them in the Forgiveness of their Sins and in the Preservation of their Innocence or lastly when we return him Thanks for whatever Mercies we or others have receiv'd at his hands All these are so many Parts of that General Duty of Prayer and in whichsoever of these Acts of Devotion we apply and address our selves to God we are said to pray as appears in the Instance of the Pharisee and Publican both which are said to have gone up into the Temple to pray Luk. 18.10 as well the proud Pharisee who uttered only his Thanks to God that he was not as had as other Men were as the honest Publican who pour'd out his Soul to God in an humble Confession of his own Vileness and in an earnest Petition that God would be merciful to him a Sinner Thus you see what is meant by praying unto God and that all the Parts and Acts of Devotion are therein included though principally and more directly by praying unto God is to be understood here our petitioning his Grace and Assistance Praâ—er a most effectual Means of performing our Covenant Secondly And I am now to shew you how effectual a Means of performing your Covenant praying unto God will be not only as it will morally dispose nay and naturally enforce and lay a necessity a restraint upon you to be faithful therein but as it will certainly procure for you the Divine Assistance 1. As it morally disposes us to be obedient unto God And 1. I say that Prayer will be a very effectual Means to enable you to perform the Covenant of Grace though we consider how far it morally disposes us to Vertue and Goodness In Prayer we draw near to God we approach the Divine Presence we hold Communion with him And those who consider that thus they do in Prayer how can they think of not quitting their Sins which render them so odious so hateful to God into whose Presence no impure thing must presume to enter It is observable what a mighty Influence it will have upon a Man to be often in the Company of one whom the Spirit of God has greatly sanctify'd into whose Soul the Divine Image is manifestly restored and who is more than ordinarily eminent for his Piety Sobriety Humility Justice and Charity The shining Graces and Vertues of such a Person will strike an awful Respect and Veneration into the Hearts of all that come near him so that they dare not offer at nor so much as think of any wicked unjust unchast or other villainous Action in his Presence and when gone from him there is scarcely any so reprobate but will carry off some good Dispositions to the like Vertues so eminent in that Person And how then can any appear before God who is of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity and not be put into the most holy Frame and Temper of Mind It is but to be frequent with God in Prayer and it would insensibly mould us into a like Heavenly Temper and Frame of Spirit and at length work in us a Divine Nature 2 As it natuâ—ally enforces us to be faithful to him Nay 2. constant Prayer will more than dispose us it will naturally inforce us to be faithful with God I mean it is a Duty of that Nature that it is scarcely to be imagin'd how any one should persevere in Prayer and yet persevere withal to violate his Covenant with God For why If I regard Iniquity in my heart that is if I do not repent of it and turn away from it the Lord will not hear me Psal 66.18 Nay the Wise Man tells us that he who turns away his Ear from hearing the Law that his Prayer shall be even an Abomination to the Lord Prov. 28.9 So that whilst a Man continues impenitent his Prayers instead of appeasing will but the more inflame the Wrath of God against him And good reason why for consider all the Parts of Prayer and you will find they are but meer Mockery out of the unhallowed Mouths of Impenitent Sinners for what less than the vilest Mockery can it be for any one whilst he allows himself in any Wickedness to come gravely into God's Presence and there confess before him that he has offended against his Holy Laws that he has left undone those things which he ought to have done and that he has done those things which he ought not to have done and yet notwithstanding all this designs no otherwise than to offend him in like manner again And how impudently it is to affront God to the Face for any impenitent Wretch to put up such Petitions as these But do thou O Lord notwithstanding I have sinn'd and will continue yet to sin for this is the true Import of a wicked Man's Prayers neither more nor less have Mercy upon me a miserable Offender And tho' he is far from repenting yet to say Spare thou me that confess my Faults Restore thou me that am penitent And again with what Confidence can wicked Christians pretend to interceed with God for his Favours to Jews Turks Infidels
and Hereticks when alas they are much less the Favourites of God themselves and it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the Day of Judgment than for wicked Christians Matth. 11.24 I do confess indeed as to that part of Prayer which we call Thanksgiving the most wicked and impenitent Sinners may bless God for their Creation Preservation and all the Blessings of this Life For he maketh his Sun to rise on the Evil and on the Good and sendeth Rain on the Just and on the Vnjust Matth. 5.45 and there 's nothing hinders but they should praise him for it But with what shew of Sincerity can they be thought to bless him above all for his inestimable Love in his Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus Christ for the means of Grace and for the hopes of Glory when so long as they continue in their Sins they can expect no benefit from Christ's Redemption and can have no hopes of Glory True it is there have been observ'd in the World That there are praying Hypocrites is by virtue of Antinomian Principles both in our Saviour's Time and of latter days a sort of Impious and Prophane Wretches that have been greatly given to Pray and yet have been most notorious Lyars and Slanderers Proud and Censorious and above all most cruel and unmerciful Exactors and Oppressors but it is plain they were either Hypocrites and Atheists in the bottom and for a pretence and colour only made long Prayers that they might more easily devour Widows Houses Matth. 23.14 and so by the Opinion of their Sanctity delude unwary People to trust 'em till having 'em within their Power they might grind 'em to Powder Or they owe this to some other Wicked and Heretical Principles as our Modern Antinomians who do found their favour with God in his Arbitrary Election of their Persons without any respect had to their Virtues and Graces as acceptable through the Mediation of Christ and will therefore pretend to pray to him nay and in their Prayers presume to talk with him as familiarly as one Friend does to another But alas the Scripture gives none the least grounds for such Confidence and Presumption but does indeed let us know it is a fearful thing to presume to pray to God and at the same time to continue in Sin Sacrifices amongst the Jews were a kind of sensible and visible Prayers and Prayers did usually accompany them but whilst that People were notoriously wicked see how God does express his detestation of such their Sacrifices and Prayers Isai 66.3 He that killeth an Oxe is as if he slew a Man he that Sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a Dogs Neck he that Offereth an Oblation as if he offered Swines Blood he that burneth Incense as if he blessed an Idol So that there is a great necessity of Resolving to forsake Sin and of being faithful in our Covenant if we will pray to God but if Men will go on wilfully in sinful Courses they had e'en as good not pray at all Heaven and Hell Light and Darkness may be joyn'd together and Reconcil'd as well as Prayer and Impenitence 3. As it will certainly procure the Divine Assistance 3. And especially Prayer duly qualify'd will be a most effectual Means to enable you to discharge your Covenant as it procures for you the Grace and Assistance of God without which you cannot perform it as has already been shew'd you I say if duly Qualify'd if put up with Faith and Sincerity for as appears from the last Particular the Prayers of such as are resolvedly Wicked will avail nothing but to their greater Damnation But otherwise Prayer doubtless is the most prevalent thing in the World with God to derive down his Blessings Favours and Graces of all sorts upon us Prayer saith the Learned and Pious Bishop Taylor hath saved Cities and Kingdoms from Ruine Prayer hath raised Dead Men to Life hath stopped the violence of Fire and shut the Mouths of wild Beasts It hath alter'd the course of Nature hath caused Rain in Aegypt and Drought in the Sea It made the Sun to go back from West to East and the Moon to stand still and Rocks and Mountains to walk and it cures Diseases without Physick and makes Physick to do the work of Nature and in a word does many Miracles But of all the Miracles that Prayer doth there is none so valuable if any so great as to Sanctify our Natures and to enable us to perform our Covenant with God which Prayer is a most effectual means to enable us to do I say That Prayer will most effectually procure for us the Graces of the Holy Spirit to enable us to perform our Covenant with God of which we have a most full and pregnant Proof Luke 11 9 10 11 12 13. our blessed Saviour in the foregoing Verses having given his Disciples a Prayer to learn to enforce upon 'em the constant and devout Exercise of this most Heavenly Duty tells 'em by way of Parable how prevalent an Importunate Prayer will be even with an Ill-natur'd Man to incline him to grant the Desires of him that Petitions him And then he proceeds to tell 'em That much more will Constancy and Earnestness in Prayer prevail upon God who is more tender to us and more forward of himself to do us good than our very Parents And I say unto you Ask and ye shall have seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be open'd unto you for every one that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened If a Son shall ask Breaâ— of any of you that is a Father will he give him a Stone or if he ask a Fish will he for a Fish give him a Serpent or if he shall ask an Egg will he offer him a Scorpion If ye then being Evil know how to give good Gifts unto your Children how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him Which is as if he should say There is no fear that God should deny such Petitions or give his Children any hurtful thing when they ask that which is good for them And tho' many things which Men ask be not good yet his Spirit and the Assistances of it are so undoubtedly such that they will never be deny'd to them that ask them of the Father This is so full a proof of the prevalency of Prayer to procure of God the Grace of his Holy Spirit to sanctifie our Natures and to enable us to perform the Conditions of our Covenant that it would be e'en lost labour to multiply any more Texts to this purpose What then remains but that we therefore most earnestly and constantly Pray unto God that he would Sanctifie our Natures that he would grant unto us according to the Riches of his Grace to be strengthen'd with Might by his Spirit in the inward Man Particularly Let us therefore
He descended into Hell 2. What pertain'd to his going into Heaven to incerceed for us there we have deliver'd in these The third day he rose again from the Dead He ascended into Heaven And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty Nor 3. Are the Nature and Acts of his Kingly Office less particularly and distinctly delivered in the Creed than those of his Priestly One main Prerogative of that Royal Office is that from Heaven He shall come again to judge both the Quick and the Dead and all the remaining Articles declare the several other Parts of it But these will also fall under another Consideration under which I shall mention them III. Then as to the Holy Ghost the Third Person in the Blessed Trinity to Him it does belong to prepare qualifie and sanctifie with all necessary Vertues and Graces all whom Christ has redeem'd and sav'd from the Dominion of Sin and Satan and cleans'd from the Pollution of their Natures caus'd thereby that they may be meet to be Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light And this we are taught to believe that he does in the Article I Believe in the Holy Ghost for the Attribute Holy does here import His doing this His sanctiing of us Thus does the Apostles Creed instruct us first in all the more material and weighty Truths necessary to be believ'd concerning God And next secondly it does the same concerning the State and Condition of us Men both in this and the World to come For 1st In general we are taught to Believe that all our Hopes of Redemption and Happiness on the Account of Christ's undertaking for us depends upon our being Members of His Holy Catholick Church 2dly In particular it teaches us the great Privileges we enjoy through him by being Members of the Church both here and hereafter namely that thereby we have the benefit of the Communion of Saints and the Forgiveness of Sins and that we shall have a Resurrection of our Bodies to Life Everlasting And thus I have given you to understand what is meant by the Articles of our Belief Secondly The Importance of the word Rehearse I am next to declare to you what is the Importance of the Word Rehearse Rehearse the Articles of thy Belief And 1. This Word Rehearse possibly in its primary Design 1. It primarily signifies the Catechists Command to the Catechumen to render him an Account of his Faith may import no more than the Ministers Command to those that come to be Catechis'd that they give him an Account of what they do Believe concerning God and his Church And as the end of your Faith is the Salvation of your Souls 1 Pet. 1.9 So it is the Duty of such as are under our Care first to get as good an Understanding as they can in the Christian Faith and then to give an Account thereof with all readiness imaginable to us the Ministers of Religion whenever we demand it Thus the Apostle commands you to Obey them that have the Rule over you and to submit your selves for they watch for your Souls as they that must give an account that they may do it with joy and not with grief Heb. 13.17 And if the Pastors of Christ's Church must give a strict Account to God of your Proficiency in Faith and Knowledge it must be your Duty to make it appear to us how much you have profited under us And thus it lies upon you to do that our Ministry may be easie and comfortable and that we may have Joy and not Sorrow in the Execution of it Alas for us to be discouraged in the Exercise of our Ministry is not for your Profit for so long as we do it uncomfortably we cannot do it so effectually as otherwise we might To do it with grief that it is unprofitable for you says the Apostle in the same Verse And would to God you would believe it But so it is that there is nothing in the World would be a greater Satisfaction to us than to see you as in the Jewish Church they did sit at the Feet of your Gamaliels your Teachers than to see you not altogether cumbred with Worldly Business as Martha was but to attend on your Teachers with Mary who chose the better part as our Saviour gave Testimony to her because she diligently sate to attend the Word delivered by our Saviour Luke 10.42 2. It may reductively signifie the Churches Command to all Worshippers audibly to recite the Belief after the Minister 2. This word Rehearse may be also reductively interpreted as a Command of the Church that whenever you come to worship God you should pronounce with an audible Voice the Articles of your Belief together with your Minister thereby publickly and before the whole Congregation confessing that you are Christians and that you Believe all that Christians should Believe to their Souls Health according to that usual Form of Words used by some before their reciting of the Creed in Divine Service calling upon the People to join with 'em in making Confession of their Christian Faith Now it is order'd by our Church to very good purpose that the whole Congregation should bear a share throughout the Common Service and that all both Ministers and People should with united Hearts and Voices utter God's Praises and set forth his Glory in the Psalms and Hymns and Creeds And it is an admirable means to fix your Attention to the great Business you are about that you are not to be standers by as it were when God is glorify'd but are personally to eccho forth his Praises And it will also wonderfully stir up and quicken each other in your Devotion to him when you are striving as it were which shall celebrate God's Goodness and Mercies with the mightiest Vehemence and humblest Reverence And as I do not doubt but it does enliven you in your Prayers to and Praises of God to have the Minister of Religion perform the Service with Seriousness and a becoming Devotion so I must profess that to see and hear some devout Worshippers heartily to sound forth their Praises to God in the Congregation has not a little enkindled a Flame in my own Breast so that to rehearse and utter forth with an audible Voice the Glorious Excellencies of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost in every one of the Psalms and Hymns is a thing very much becoming every Christian But especially every one of you should openly rehearse and profess his Belief together with the Minister as often as we are called upon to it in Divine Service We are to pray not only for Our selves but for Others for we may be benefited not only by our own but by others Prayers But every one must Believe for himself and shall be saved only by his own Faith which is the reason that whereas our Publick Prayers are in the Plural Number Our Father our Belief runs in the singular I' Believe and